The Will to Live
Chapter One: Untimely Death The sun shone brightly overhead on a warm April day as Kail Brezdon was walking home from school. Normally, the nice weather would raise her spirits, but today in school everyone had learned of some terribly tragic news. A classmate of hers, a young man named Emmanuel Leese, had killed himself the night prior. Many students in her class cried; some quite passionately. Kail hadn't known Emmanuel personally, but she could certainly feel the deep sorrow. She didn't cry herself, but she felt on the verge of tears for almost the entire day. She thought about how his parents and other loved ones must have felt, never being able to see him again... As if that weren't bad enough, Kail had seen a good number of news stories about the increasing suicide rates worldwide, and the deep-seated depression these suicides were causing. It seemed that the living were becoming quite miserable with the growing number of people taking their lives. Depression was gripping people fiercely, leaving them as hollow husks of their former selves. They were being forced to grapple with misery day after day. Kail felt terribly for those who were suicidally depressed, and deeply wished that they could get the help and support they needed. And for those who were already gone, she hoped for them to be in a better place where they could be happy and at peace. However, Kail's heart also went out to the living. She knew full-well that suicides affected large numbers of people, and the friends and family of the deceased most of all. Kail hated to see the world falling deeper and deeper into despair because of this tragic rise in people who wished for death.... When she made it home, her mother was on the porch, waiting for her. She hugged Kail tightly in her arms. "Oh, Kail, sweetie, I heard about what happened! I'm so sorry about Emmanuel! You can take a day off of school if you like! How's your heart?" Smiling sheepishly, Kail tried to push her mother away slightly, as she felt she was being crushed, and answered, "My heart's fine, Mom." Kail was born with a heart defect that gave her a slight arrhthymia; irregular heart beat. Other than that, there was a possibility she could suffer serious injury if she experienced too much excitement or surprise. She had medicine she took regularly to lower this risk. "I made hot chocolate, let's have some! And we can talk all you like." Her mother led her into the house. Kail drank the hot chocolate graciously, despite the fact that it seemed a bit warm for such a beverage. She was grateful for everything her parents did for her, even if it felt like she was being babied a little bit from time to time. "Your dad should be home soon," her mother said, looking at her wrist watch. "He called me and told me he bought you a present to help take your mind off things." Kail smiled shyly, and said, "W-well, that was nice of him, but he didn't have to do that..." "Oh, he said it was no trouble at all." Kail's mother worked from morning to afternoon, while her father worked around the same times, but usually came home an hour later than her mother. Kail thought it would definitely be good to be with her family on a day like this... When Kail's father came home, he also embraced her quite tightly. He, then, gave her the gift he'd purchased: a large bottle of peach snapple; Kail's favorite juice. After that, the three went out to dinner and had an evening full of laughter and fun. Kail and her family had almost completely forgotten the sad news from the day. When they returned home, they were all full of food and quite tired. "Ugh....just roll my fat butt into the house; I don't know if I can make it," Kail's father said with a smile as Kail and her mother laughed. "I still can't believe I had dessert after that whole burger...." Kail said. "Why do restaurants always make them so big?" Her mother answered, "They're trying to appeal to the average American." And another wave of laughter ensued. They entered the house and all three almost immediately went to bed. It had been a long evening, and after such a large meal they were completely spent. However, being so wrapped up in the joyous occassion, Kail had forgotten to take her heart medication... That night, when she was sleeping, a forest fire arose in the woods near the suburb she lived in. A string of fire engines, with their lights flashing and loud sirens wailing, went by her house, one after the other. Kail sprung awake, sitting straight up in bed, and gasping for breath. The sound of the sirens were deafening, and Kail covered her ears as her heart raced. Truck after truck went by, and Kail wasn't sure when it was going to end. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her hands gripped the area of her chest right where her heart was as she gasped in pain. "My heart...." Then, all at once, she realized the mistake she had made that evening; that she hadn't taken her medicine. She began to hyperventilate as the gravity of the situation weighed in on her. Another sharp pain went through her heart and she let out a short scream of pain that was, unfortunately, drowned out by the sirens. Her hands gripped the cloth of her shirt near her heart even tighter. "My heart!" she yelled. "My heart...!" Then, everything went dark for her, she went completely limp, and collapsed back onto her bed. Chapter Two: Death's Arrival It was still dark out when Kail awoke, and she saw a young man, roughly her age (16), standing near her bed, smiling down at her. Even in the limited light of the room, she could make out some of his features. He had short, blond hair, broad cheek bones, and was wearing a black gakuran, complete with a black mao cap. She recognized the outfit from history books as well as documentaries and shows she watched. For some reason....Kail didn't feel threatened by him, despite the fact that he was, obviously, an intruder. However, she was still a bit alarmed. She sat up, and looked at the strange young man to her left. His smile widened. "Kail," he said in a warm voice. Kail felt a little fear run through her, and moved a little to her right, towards the wall the bed was up against, putting more distance between her and the stranger. He put his hands up, and said, "No need to be alarmed. I mean you no harm." "Wh-who are you?" Kail stammered a bit. The young man folded his hands behind his back, and replied, "Well, I've been called many different things by many different people and cultures. Although, it seems that I am most often referred to as...." he stepped closer to Kail, where she could see that his eyes were bright purple, "Death." Kail swallowed hard, her fear rising. "Death?" "Yes." His countenance changed to one of pity, his strange eyes reflecting sorrow. "I'm afraid you're dead, Kail. You had a heart attack." Kail trembled a bit and looked herself over. "I'm....dead?!" "Indeed," he responded. "I'm so sorry, Kail. But your life is....over." "But....my body is still here.....I thought the soul left the body when a person died....or...something like that...." "Well, that's not quite how it works. You see, once a person dies, it's my job to remove the soul from the body. It is then that I guide the person to either Heaven or Purgatory." He smiled warmly. "Not to worry, though. You're Heaven-bound." Kail looked at him. "H-heaven? It's....really real?" He nodded, a grin on his face. "It is very real. And it's wonderful, Kail. All of your hopes, dreams, and desires granted. You get everything you have ever wanted and more. Eternal bliss, Kail....and that is your destination." He extended his hand towards Kail. "Come with me, Kail. Wondrous adventures and euphoric delight await you." Kail smiled at this, and slowly began to raise her hand to his. This was it. Her greatest fear, death, was no more. She finally knew for sure that there was something beyond life, and it was the greatest possibility she could hope for: Heaven. It was real. And she was going there. However, Kail began to think about her parents, and how they would feel if she was gone. She froze, sadness reflected on her face. The young man raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Kail also thought of her friends at school and her classmates, and how they would react to her death. She didn't want more depression and agony to befall the people she cared about. She lowered her hand. "I.....I can't go with you...." Shocked, the boy responded, "What? But why?" "I....have people who care about me....people who love me...." Kail responded. She looked him in the eyes. "They would be crushed if I died...." The boy lowered his hand, and smiled empathetically at her. "Kail......I understand how you feel....believe me, I do....however....your time is up." He shook his head. "There's nothing you can do." "But....can't you let me stay?" Kail implored. He shook his head sadly. "I'm afriad not, Kail. It's my job to bring the deceased out of the mortal realm." A flood of memories about the climbing suicide rates and the tragic depression it's caused across the world came flowing through Kail's mind. It was true; she hadn't committed suicide. But another death would surely lead to even more depression from even more people. And Kail certainly didn't want that. She turned away from him. "I'm sorry....I....I just can't go." The young man sat on the edge of the bed and spoke gently, "Kail, listen to me. You want to stay behind for the sake of your friends and other loved ones, and I think that's truly admirable." He chuckled a little. "It's certainly no wonder that you're Heaven-bound......but.....this mortal realm is no longer your concern." She turned her head to him, giving him a fierce look. "How can you say that?! You just want me to abandon my friends and family?! And leave them to suffer?!" He raised a hand. "No, no, certainly not. But you have to understand, Kail, there are certain rules to all this. Once you die, you have to move on. I can't allow you to stay in the mortal realm when you've passed away. I have to take you to Heaven. That's my job." Kail voice softened a bit. "What if.....I won't go with you?" The boy let out a brief, quiet sigh, and said, "Well, very few people resist me.....but if you do, then I'll have no choice but to take you to Heaven by force." Kail looked him in the eyes with a somber expression. "I know it's your job.....and I don't blame you.....but..." she glared defiantly at him, "I won't go with you." The boy lowered his head, sighing quietly. "I'm truly sorry, Kail, but..." he looked up and raised the palm of his hand to Kail's face, "you have no choice." A pink gas came out of his hand, right into Kail's face. Kail coughed, and tried to cover her mouth, but the gas took its effect and Kail fell asleep.... She awoke to find her left arm slung over the young man's shoulders, his right hand about her waist. "Wha....what happened?" she groaned, still sleepy. The boy turned and looked at her, smiling. "Ah, well, hello there, sleepy head." "Where are we? Where are you taking me?" "We're near a special forest with a great deal of spiritual energy. In there, I'll be able to remove your soul from your body. Anywhere else, I would need you to leave your body willingly, and you won't do that, so, off we go." "No....I have people I need to live for," Kail said, feeling a sudden surge of energy that surprised even her. "I understand your concern, Kail. But there's nothing that can be done." His tone turned chipper, and he said, "Shall I regale you with stories of Heaven again? It really is beyond your wildest imaginations." "I don't want to die...." Kail choked out pitifully as tears began to stream from her eyes, thinking of her parents, friends, and classmates. More energy came to her, again, unexpectedly, and she was able to stand and rip herself free of the boy, but only just barely. The boy turned and gently grabbed hold of her upper arms, trying to seize her again. Kail glared at him, angrily, and pulled away, stepping back. She raised her hand towards him, trying to push him away from her with all her strength. At the top of her lungs, she shouted "I WANNA' LIIIIIIIIIIVE!!" Suddenly, she became surrounded with a golden-yellow light, and a beam of energy shot out of her hand, hitting the boy point blank and throwing him back a fair distance. Stunned, Kail looked at the palms of her hands, which were still glowing with energy. "How....how did I do that?" she asked aloud. The boy pushed himself up off the ground, stood up, and coughed a little as he stared at Kail with an equally surprised countenance. "Well....that was quite unprecedented...." "What just happened?" Brushing himself off a bit, the boy responded, "You displayed a rather interesting power just now. A power that I know is getting more and more scarce in this world. That power was....the will to live." "You know about the suicide rates....." A look of pure sorrow crossed the young man's face. "Yes....all too well. But you....even after dying from natural causes and being told of Heaven....you still wanted to stay alive for the sake of you loved ones....your will to live is strong.....I certainly wish more were like you." He shook his head and continued, "But I'm afraid that doesn't change the fact that I have to take you to Heaven." Immediately, Kail raised her hand, and said, "I'm not going just yet. I'll blast you again if I have to." The young man raised his hands and said, "At ease, soldier. I'm currently not prepared to subdue a willfull soul. Normally, they come willingly." He flashed her a serious look, and said, "But trust me, once I get fully prepared, I will bring you to Heaven. I am Death, and I have great power." "I'll resist for as long as I can." The boy's expression softened, and he smiled a bit. "I'm sure you will. I do admire what you're doing, but....I have to do my job." Kail lowered her hand, feeling some pity for the young man. "But for now," the boy continued, "why don't I take you home? You must be exhausted, and I'm not one to deny someone the comforts of their home." Kail smiled weakly. "I would like that. Thank you." Within the next hour, Kail was back home in bed, fast asleep. A lot had transpired that evening, but she was just too exhausted to stay up and think about things. Chapter Three: The Battle Begins Kail woke up to a warm, sunlit room. It was so comfortable and pleasant, she considered going right back to sleep. Then, she suddenly remembered it was a school day, and looked at her alarm clock which read: 12:43 p.m. "Holy crap!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed. She ran downstairs, into the kitchen, and found a note that read: "Kail, we thought it would be best if you stayed home today. We turned off your alarm and didn't wake you up. Please just have a nice, relaxing day off, you certainly deserve it with your grades anyway! We'll see you when we get home! - Mom and Dad." She settled down a bit, and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she looked over at her side of the kitchen table where she usually kept some of her stuff, and saw her heart medicine. Her eyes widened, and she thought, "Better take this now." She picked up the bottle, and began to untwist the lid. "You won't be needing that anymore," a familiar voice chimed behind her. Kail whirled around to see Death standing behind her in his same uniform, smiling at her with his arms crossed. She staggered backwards, ramming her back into the kitchen table, and raised her hand, getting ready to shoot another strange beam. Death raised his eyebrows. "Easy, Kail. I'm not here to drag you to Heaven....this time." "You....you're not?" "No. I just wanted to come by and tell you some things." Kail lowered her arm and relaxed some. "First off, you certainly don't need your heart medication anymore; you're dead." Smiling sheepishly, Kail rubbed the back of her head with her hand, and said, "Heh, yeah....I guess I didn't think that through." He shook his head and responded amiably, "No worries, Kail. At lot has happened to you, and the science of being dead while still hanging around in the mortal realm isn't exactly universally known." Kail put the medicine bottle down near her side of the table and turned back to him. "Medicines will still affect you in their natural ways, but you won't need to take any for physical illnesses, as you won't be getting any. After all, viruses do need a living host." He straightened up a bit. "Now, then, is there anything you'd like to ask? I'm sure you must have a lot of questions." "Ah, well....yeah. First of all, can I still eat?" "Yes, indeed. You don't need to, but you can." Kail smiled. "Oh, good. I wouldn't want to worry my parents by not eating..." Death half-smiled, and said, "Yes, I imagine that would be a bit alarming to them." The smile left Kail's face, and her eyes shot down to the floor. "Uhm...another thing....." She looked back up at him. "You say you're going to try to subdue me with your powers....does that involve beating me to a pulp?" Death frowned and shook his head. "Oh, heavens, no. Nothing I do is going to hurt you. I'm merely going to drain you of your energy to make you pass out. It is then that I will take you to a spiritual area where I can pull your soul out. And once your soul is out....it's over. You'll have no power to resist me whatsoever." "I see.....so, uhm.......do I just call you Death?" His head tilted slightly to one side, and he said, "Well, I would prefer if you didn't. Why don't you call me by my human name? Paris." Kail raised an eyebrow. "Human name?" "Yes, I used to be human once. The grim reaper job is not carried out by one entity; heavens, no. A volunteer soul does it for a certain period of time, then, they retire to Heaven. I always liked being helpful, so I signed up. I've only been at it for about five years now, though, so I still have a long way to go before retirement." He laughed warmly. Kail smiled and nodded. "Paris, then." Paris smiled knowingly, and said, "Yes. My parents went to Paris for their honeymoon and they loved it so much, they decided to name me after the city when I was born." Putting her hand gently to her heart, Kail said, "That's so sweet." Paris chuckled a bit, and said, "Yes....they would tell me stories about it all the time. And once, when I was old enough, we all traveled there together on vacation as a family. It's one of my fondest memories......so, yes, call me Paris, if you please. I won't get upset if you call me Death, but....well, it makes me sound scary and intimidating, and....I'm just not that kind of guy." Kail nodded. "Okay." A sly smile crossed Paris's face. "And be informed, Kail, even though I've only been at this for five years, I'm still quite adept at my job. Not to mention I have great power granted to me as the current reaper. I will get you." "I'll go with you eventually, Paris.....but not now...." Kail's expression turned sad. "The climbing suicide rates, the crippling depression it's causing people.....I..." Kail blinked and thought for a momement. Then, she continued, "I want to serve as an inspiration to people who want death.....to encourage them to live for the sake of their loved ones....after all.....everyone's important to someone." A warm smile spread across Paris's face. "That's very noble of you, Kail. But you were already an inspiration from the way you resisted me last night." Kail's expression turned slightly sour, and she said, "I wouldn't be a very great inspiration if I gave up after only one victory." A look of determination crossed her face. "I'm going to fight on. For as long as I can. For as long as I deem is necessary." A slightly sad expression appeared on Paris's face. "I really admire your goal, Kail, and believe me, I hate to fight against you.....but rules are rules, and I have to do my job." A tender countenance overcame Kail's face, and she said, "No, Paris, it's okay. I understand that it's your job, and I don't hold it against you." Paris smiled and said, "Well, that's good. I was hoping we could avoid some bad blood." He raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh, and one more thing: I'll only be coming after you when you're all alone. After all, only the dead can see me, and it's forbidden to try to move a body while there are living souls around. They'd see you getting dragged away by some invisible force, and I imagine that would give them quite the willies. The....'higher ups' don't want that, as I'm sure you can understand." Kail nodded. "Okay....but....I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why are you giving me advice if you want to take me to Heaven?" Paris's smile turned sly once again, and he replied, "Because it doesn't matter. My power far exceeds anything you could ever possibly imagine. Next time I show up to take you, you won't be able to stop me." Kail narrowed her eyes. "We'll see...." Paris's smile turned cheerful again, and he said, "Well, then, I'm off for now. Why don't you go have that relaxing day your parents wanted for you? Ta-ta, Kail." And with that, he vanished in a cloud of dark purple smoke that dissipiated unnaturally fast. Stunned, Kail stood staring at where Paris had just been a moment before. Then, she sat down in her chair, sighing loudly and shaking her head. "My life will never be boring again....and I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing...." Chapter Four: Preparations Kail enjoyed her day off for a while, trying to relax with some video games and good books. She decided this was best to calm her spinning mind a bit. After that, though, she decided she should definitely start getting ready for her encounters with Paris. She thought it would be good to try practicing with her strange new power. After all, she had a large backyard with tall fences around it, and her neighbors were fairly distanced from her house, so it wasn't likely that they would see much. But another thing that occurred to Kail was the fact that Paris could come during the night when she was asleep. She would be completely helpless in this scenario, as he could easily wisk her away in her sleep to one of the "spiritual areas" that he'd spoken of. Kail considered it a miracle that she had woken up after Paris had put her to sleep with the odd sleeping gas, but Paris had said that he hadn't dealt with many defiant souls, so it was possible that the sleeping gas itself hadn't been very potent. Kail leaned her head back, lying on her couch, wondering how she could possibly protect herself in her sleep. She really didn't want to put a camera up in her room, where living souls would be able to see what happened to her by watching the footage. It would cost a lot of money to film the room every night, and her parents would question why she wanted to film her room every night, and she didn't think she could really come up with a convincing enough story. "What the hell am I gonna' do?" she thought, growing more anxious by the minute. Then, an idea struck her like a bolt of lightning. It was a long shot, and it might not work, but she was looking at some very limited options. "I'll get a pet bird and put it in my room," she thought. "That's a living soul, so, hopefully, Paris won't be able to touch me so long as the bird is there. Although.....there is a possibility that he meant only human living souls, but.....it's my only option. I can't so well set up an alarm system that will detect a supernatural being....and.....I've also heard plenty of times that animals can more easily sense the supernatural than people, so maybe the bird will start making a ruckus and wake me up.....hmm.....well, it's all I've got, and I'm just gonna' have to roll the dice...." For a few hours, Kail practiced using her powers in her backyard. She found she could summon the strange energy whenever she wanted to, but she thought she should probably train to make her power stronger so that she could successfully fend off Paris. After all, he'd said that, next time, he'd be more powered up. So, Kail practiced and tried to shoot beams with more and more force. She used a very thick, dead, old tree stump as her target. After an hour or so, she found that she could shoot more powerful beams more easily, and realized that this was, indeed, a power she could train to improve. Then, roughly half an hour before her parents got home, Kail decided to go back inside and enjoy some of her peach snapple, exhausted from her practicing. She recited her speech to her parents over and over again in her head. She would tell them that getting a pet in her room would help her a bit, and she would request a canary from the pet store. Kail's plan followed through perfectly. Her parents thought it would be a good idea to get a new pet, and took her to the pet store after they came home from work. She found a bright yellow canary that almost seemed to glow with a golden light. Thinking it was perfect, she named him Luck, knowing that the ancient Egyptians viewed canaries as good luck and bringers of good fortune. They brought Luck home and enjoyed watching the bird in its medium-sized cage for a while, giving him food and treats and trying to get him to chirp by whistling at him. Then, when dinner time came, Kail took Luck up to her room and placed his cage on the table behind her bed. She stuck her finger in the cage and pet him on the head a few times, then, returned downstairs for dinner. The family ate dinner with Kail's parents discussing funny happenstances at their respective workplaces. Kail, however, was rather quiet. She filled with trepidation, knowing full well that Paris may come for her tonight. "Will my plan work?" she thought. "Will the canary really be able to help?" Normally, when she felt this anxious, she could feel her heart pounding. But now, she was dead and her heart no longer functioned. In a way, it was pleasant. After all, a speeding pulse was an unpleasant sensation for most. Her parents took notice of her silence, and her father asked, "Kail, sweetie, why so quiet?" Thinking quickly, Kail half-smiled at him and replied, "Oh...I guess I'm just really tired. It's been a pretty long day." "If you want, you can hit the sack early," her mother said. "Yeah, I think I might," Kail said. "Maybe an hour or two after dinner." "Sure thing, Kail," her father said, smiling reassuringly. "If you're tired, get all the rest you need." Roughly an hour after dinner was over, Kail went up to her room and pratically collapsed onto her bed. It wasn't a lie that she was feeling wiped out. She assumed it was the result of training so long with her strange new powers. "Had to be done, though," she thought. "I have to be ready...." She looked out the window on the wall her bed was facing, gazing at the few stars she could see in the beautiful night sky. Soon, she was fast asleep... She found herself half-awake in the dead of night, and heard a soft whisper, "Drat..." Forcing herself to come to her senses quickly, she turned her head slightly and saw Paris standing next to her bed, staring directly at Luck. She sat up as quickly as she could, and turned her head completely to face Paris. Paris turned his head to her and said, "Very clever, Kail....looks like you've figured it out." Kail squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then, reopened them, trying to clear her slightly blurry vision. "That bird is a living soul," Paris continued. "And while any living soul is conscious, I'm forbidden to use any of my supernatural abilities." He smiled at her with respect. "Well played." He turned back to the bird. "I do wish reapers were only forbidden to use their powers in front of conscious human souls, but....alas, that's not the case. However, Kail-" he turned to her with a smirk, "surely that bird is not going to be awake every time I come around." Kail's eyes widened. "It has to be awake? But....can't animals sense your presence and act strangely when your around anyway? Wouldn't that wake him up?" "I'm afraid that's just an old myth. No living soul can hear me, see me, sense me, or anything else." Kail's heart sunk a bit; she'd been hoping that the "old myth" would ring true. Still, she was relieved that Luck had been able to protect her at all. Paris shook his head with a light smile on his face. "Trumped again by the soul that refuses to go." He folded his hands behind his back, turned to Kail completely, and his smile widened. "You know, I've never really seen a true battle between life and death before. This is becoming very interesting." He looked to the window, and said, "Now, while I could just wait for the canary to fall asleep and try to drag you away then, I'm afraid I have other souls to reap this evening. So, for now, I'll bid you adieu." He smiled at Kail. "Pleasant dreams, Kail." Then, he vanished before her eyes. Kail collapsed onto her bed. "Done so much already," she thought. "But still so much to plan for....and I was damn fortunate that Luck was awake tonight." Before falling back asleep, she muttered one last thing, "Maybe the ancient Egyptians were on to something with these birds..." Category:Story Category:Supernatural